Tag: e-bike

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a product recall for Clean Republic’s Hill Topper E-bike Controllers due to reports of unintended motor acceleration after water had penetrated the controllers. Clean Republic, based in Seattle, has received six reports of riders losing control when the motor accelerated without rider input, including one reported injury resulting in scrapes and bruises to the rider. Riders (and there are around 3,500 of you) should immediately stop using the recalled motor controller circuit boards and kits and contact the Clean Republic for a free…

The Specialized advertisement that pits their Turbo e-bike against a bicycle has got to be the weirdest advertisement Specialized has produced since their high-speed police pursuit video. It sends a message that must have e-bike proponents gnashing their teeth. The bicycle is piloted by Peter Sagan, one of the fastest bicycle racers on earth. The Turbo e-bike is ridden by a rider identified only as Grandma Joan. The ad, that does not reveal Joan’s age, explains that her heart requires a pacemaker and she has had two knee replacements. The…

Stella Fietsen, a bicycle company located in the Netherlands, suffered a devastating fire in their e-bike and e-bike battery storage facility. European News reports that the fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. in a store room at Stella Fietsen’s headquarters. The article reports that the store room where the fire originated contained 3,000 electric bikes and 6,000 batteries. The building collapsed and is considered a total loss. The fire was classified as a GRIP 3. This means the fire “threatened well-being of (large groups of) the population within a single…

The NASA lunar e-bike prototype was said to be developed in the event of the lunar rover vehicle not being ready for the Apollo missions of 1972 and 1973. The moon scooter didn’t need to be deployed because the lunar rover hit its intended completion deadline. It would take a few years for earth-bound e-bikes to catch up to the lunar bike, but I guess there is one larger trend that can be accredited to this NASA research: hard-shell bicycle helmets.

California was the first state to address e-bike usage by modifying its vehicle code with Assembly Bill 1096. The modified vehicle code is a big victory for companies and retailers who sell (or rent) electric-motorized bicycles in the state, but the legislation puts consumers at a marked disadvantage. The e-bike regulations recently adopted by Connecticut corrects California’s goof and results in legislation far more fair to consumers. APPROPRIATE TRAIL ACCESS The California law allows all but the most powerful e-bikes to be operated on equestrian, hiking and recreational trails. The…

If there was ever a mountain bike park that needed to be approved for e-bike use, it is the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. Why? Mammoth is notoriously one of the toughest places to ride a conventional mountain bike. The park’s altitude assures your lungs will feel like an elephant is sitting on them. The trail surface is soft, spongy, dusty, momentum-killing pumice that can break the spirit of the strongest riders (think kitty litter). There is not a rider who has ridden the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park trails and not…

While I understand this rider’s frustration with people blocking a bike lane when they could and should be on the sidewalk, his solution to the problem may cause more hostility against riders. Best approach is to reduce your speed and give a polite “behind you” or “on your left.” That will work better than blasting off someone’s toupee. You also don’t want to become a victim of road rage (or in this case, pedestrian rage).

Updated May 29, 2018: The Zeitgeist website is now live with more information about their stealthy e-bike. It is selling for $2999 and Zeitgeist is accepting $500 refundable reservations with delivery estimated between three (August 2018) to six months (November 2018). The claimed specs include a weight of 30.29 pounds, a 36V/360W electric hub motor, a 36V/6.7AH Panasonic lithium-ion array battery and a Shimano 105 cantilever brake Gruppo. Important missing information includes frame sizing, specific component specifications (handlebar, stem, saddle, crank length, pedals, wheels), battery replacement costs and warranty information.…

UPDATED: May 15, 2018 – I was contacted by Electrek’s publisher, Frederic Lambert, who said, “there might be some good points in there [my story], but there (sic) are drown out by useless swipes that make this whole thing sound like a shameless hit piece.” Frederic, I’m trying to save people from being injured and I certainly don’t feel “shame.” I’m proud to shed light on bad information to unsuspecting readers. He went on to explain, “We put the information out there and then people do what they want with…

Yamaha, a company famous for everything from pianos to motorcycles and outboard motors to stereo equipment, is kicking off their entry into the U.S. electric bike market by offering interested riders a chance to win one of their e-bikes. And it couldn’t be easier to enter. Click here to enter the sweepstakes. You pick the model you want to win and supply the required contact info. Then sit back, cross your fingers and on September 20th, Yamaha might just pick you as the lucky winner.